Assisted dying will not become law in England and Wales after proposed legislation branded “hopelessly flawed” by opponents ran out of time in the House of Lords amid claims of a “denial of democracy” from supporters.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which had been making its way through Parliament for the past year and a half, fell on Friday with peers in the House of Lords speaking passionately on both sides of the argument.
While the Bill had successfully passed two votes in the House of Commons, albeit with a narrower majority on the second occasion, it did not face a vote in the Lords.
It instead ran out of time, with Lord Charlie Falconer – who had steered it through the upper chamber – saying he felt “despondent” that a piece of legislation which he said was “so important to so many, has not failed on its merits, but failed as a result of procedural wrangling”.
The Bill had proposed allowing adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.
More than 1,200 amendments to the Bill had been suggested in the Lords, with more than 800 of those tabled or sponsored by seven peers.
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